Comparison of external load and specific activities of starters vs. non-starters by position in men's professional volleyball competition

Background: The purpose of this study was to analyze volleyball specific activity data of men’s professional players during the competition to determine differences in external loads between starters and non-starters and to quantify the loads required per set for starters. Methods: A total of 21 players (27.5 ± 4.5 years), including three liberos (L), four setters (S), eight opposite/outside hitters (OPP/OH) and six middle blockers (MB), participated in the study. Starters were defined as players included in the starting lineup of each of the 36 matches, while non-starters began in the warm-up zone. External load variables included match time (MT), player load (PL), total jumps (TJ), low-range jumps (LRJ), mid-range jumps (MRJ), high-range jumps (HRJ), explosive efforts (EE), planar explosive efforts (PEE) and repeated high-intensity efforts (RHIE), which were objectively measured using wearable activity monitors. An independent t-test compared loads between starters and non-starters, while one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) analyzed positional differences for starters. Results: The results revealed that, while total MT did not differ between starters and non-starters across all positions, starters consistently recorded higher loads in PL, TJ, MRJ, HRJ, PEE and EE. Among starters, the S showed the highest values for TJ (p < 0.001) and MRJ (p < 0.001), while the MB recorded the highest values for HRJ (p < 0.001) and RHIE (p < 0.001). The OPP/OH had the highest values for EE (p < 0.001), and the L showed the highest values for PEE (p < 0.001). Our findings revealed apparent external load differences between starters and non-starters and positional variations in the relative importance of individual load components. Conclusions: These results emphasize the necessity of designing position-specific training programs tailored to the per-set load demands of starters, thereby optimizing player performance and managing training loads effectively.

Performance analysis; Wearable technology; Activity monitoring; Match demands; Jumps

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